Book Description

A modern Cinderella story with an Irish twist

Can her dreams come true with the help of some unlikely fairy godpeople?

Katie Dillon doesn't believe in dreams and fairy tales. She has a plan for her life, which doesn't include falling for charmer Fin Dunbar--again. But while caring for her niece, Katie realizes Fin and her dreams might be just what she needs. When family secrets, old arguments, and new feelings cause Katie and Fin to clash, they have to decide whether their love is make-believe or certain sure.

Can her dreams come true with the help of some unlikely fairy godpeople?

Katie Dillon doesn't believe in dreams and fairy tales. She has a plan for her life, which doesn't include falling for charmer Fin Dunbar--again. But while caring for her niece, Katie realizes Fin and her dreams might be just what she needs. When family secrets, old arguments, and new feelings cause Katie and Fin to clash, they have to decide whether their love is make-believe or certain sure.

I enjoyed this book, but I honestly hate characters that all of their problems would be solved if they were just honest with themselves or at least made up their mind and stuck to it. At the same time, I thoroughly enjoyed all the family drama/secrets, and the Irish twist to everything was a welcome change from all the regular blah of romance novels. And the end left me with a little smile. I gave it 4 stars because it was good though I was mildly annoyed at peoples stubbornness about their feelings. It felt like a constant loop of yes/no/maybeso to the point I almost stopped reading it.

I enjoyed listening to this book but it was easy to see where it would land. The writer did add in some twists to keep it interesting, so overall a good story. Very strong kudos to the narrator, Elizabeth Klett, as she did an outstanding job of bringing the characters to life with appropriate accents and voice distinctions so it's easy to follow. I recommend if if you’re looking for something lighthearted.

I am from the SF Bay Area so I always enjoy reading books that are set in places I know, however in some books the location descriptions seem gratuitous. This one gets it just right! I also particularly liked that the hero and heroine were not perfect - though perfect for each other - and that the older generations also got to have some romance and intrigue. This was a really enjoyable read.

I would love to have these two for real friends. The characters are so well developed and lovable. And the family is a bonus - we get to see how they all fit together to make them who they are, for better or worse, mostly better. They aren't just a plot device, they are a real family. This is one of the few romances that I have gone back to re-read and will re-read again.

I had picked up the book not expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised by the quiet feel of it. The last novel I read had a narrative voice so perky, it felt like it was fanfiction being written by a teenager. However, this novel felt much like some indie films I've watched - with its gray tones, real characters, and a shaky camera. The sense of mystery and hidden secrets were also well-depicted. And the relationships are quite complicated. However, once secret upon secret upon secret were revealed, it became a bit ridiculous, like some daytime soap opera but at 10 times the speed. I also found it incredibly unbelievable that all the older members of the two families depicted were romantically linked somehow in the past. For some time, I started to wonder if they had ever wondered whether the romantic leads of this novel may be blood relations. And that weird tangent with the brother-in-law- a whole lot of what-the-heck?!

The ending was super-rushed. Main characters, Katie and Fin, finally did the deed in a romantic way and then the next morning, their families (who are in-laws with each other, among other things) found out they were involved. Right when they were about to lay into the Fin for getting with Katie, they all decided to hit the pause button. Characters went to change their clothes, returned, and the whole group of family members was gone. Fin proposed. Katie accepted. The end. What about the parent-child animosity that Katie and Fin had with their parents? No longer discussed. And the epilogue - oh don't get me start on THAT. After rushing the Katie and Fin ending, the epilogue was about their niece, Rose - prominently featured in the main story as the little girl who planned to get her aunt and uncle together. I think the author confused epilogue with "sneak preview of next book". So Rose was in her 20s in the epilogue and in Ireland. And by then a good chunk of the family that we have read about for the past 200 pages has passed away. Her mom, Katie's horrible sister who may have been redeemable by the end of the novel-proper, was more selfish, needy, and psycho than ever in the epilogue. And epilogue hinted at Rose getting with the grandson of a man who was romantically involved with one of her grandmothers! Stop making it a prerequisite that a romantic pairing must have family members who were once or still is romantically involved with each other.Read more ›

I like the whole premise of this quick read. The story is the love story of two totally charming characters and a cast of interesting supporting friends and family. Irish is the keyword here. The book has an ethnic feel, not oppressively so, just a hint and a color and it is free of the predictable stereotypes of most "Irish" romances—it really worked. I loved the bad boy, Finn, who is really **** don't want to slip in a spoiler, but he is sexy and a strong love interest. The heroine, Katie, is the innocent, hardworking, smart victim of the family "secrets". Her father refuses to take her seriously but her niece, Rosie, adores the ground Katie walks on. As Rosie's uncle from the opposite side of Rosie's heritage Finn adores Rosie as well. He remembers Katie, all too well, her sweetness haunted him even thousands of miles away, in Ireland where his father had banished him. Now Finns back, Katie has grown up and Rosie has wished upon a star. If you want a sweet read based loosely on a great fairy tale, this is the book for you.

My one complaint is that there are several people in the family with similar names, pay attention because the plot is more developed than your typical sweet romance.

More About the Author

﻿Reina M. Williams writes sweet Austenesque Regency and contemporary romances, as well as fairy tale based stories. She loves period dramas, cooking, baking, and reading. Reina's interest in history began when she visited Colonial Williamsburg as a girl. She has a B.A. in History and did graduate study in English Literature. A California native, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.